A Swordsman's Tale
by Arctic Zero
Summary: Follow the life of an average swordsman as he travels with friends and experiences new things in life!
1. The Beginning

It was a dark tunnel system and the air was musty. There were narrow pathways, and barely any light. If you think of it as an observer, it really isn't much of a test, going through a tunnel system with no danger inside. It was just a test of bravery. Of course, should you fall from the course, you'll be in a cave full of aggressive Fabre's and they will really lay down some hurt if you're not careful. It was tough so far for Qtronix, a novice wishing to pass the test and become a swordsman. Down in these tunnels, no one knew what was happening outside, in the town of Izlude. Izlude is renowned for the Swordsman Guild, where aspiring novices take the test to become a swordsman and see if they can pass it. Qtronix's torch flickered for a moment, before suddenly, the tunnels started shaking. He started running, keeping his eyes on his feet, avoiding any holes in the ground. Finally, when he saw the exit, he decided to slow down. He was wise in doing so, as the path was filled with pseudo-tiles, where it was actually a hole with an illusion of a tile covering it. The shaking stopped, and Qtronix did not want to know if what caused the trembling was behind him, so he proceeded.

Upon his exit of the tunnel system, he was greeted by a member of the guild.

"You made it through the Test of Bravery. Congratulations, swordsman. By far, you have the fastest completion time in the guild's history. Congratulations on that as well," said the guild member. Qtronix replied with a nod.

"Go back to the guild master and hand him this note of approval. After that, he'll tell you what to do."

Qtronix took the note of approval and properly disposed of his torch, then went to the guildmaster. The guildmaster was not hard to find. He was burly and huge, almost as if he was a giant. When Qtronix gave him the letter of approval, he said, "Alright, swordsman. Welcome to the guild! Go to the armory and get your uniform. You'll get the chance of picking one-handed or two-handed sword when you get to the quartermaster since you broke the fastest time of passing the Test of Bravery."

Qtronix, feeling like he's been running around too much, took his leave from the guildmaster's presence and went to the armory. He was suited with the basic armor and uniform of all swordsmen, but Qtronix picked a two-handed sword to maximize his damage. Qtronix wasn't one about shying away from combat. If he was going to fight, he was going to deal as much damage as he could. That was his strategy, and he carried it proudly. Finally, when he was done, he wandered about towards the exit of the building and overheard two swordsmen arguing which skill was better, Bash or Magnum Break. Either way, Qtronix didn't know what either of those skills were just yet, so he just passed by them and carried on to Izlude.

Izlude was not so much of a busy town, considering it is the satellite town of Prontera, the capital of the Kingdom. All the attention goes to Prontera while those who wishes to walk the path of the Swordsman goes to Izlude. Still, there were frequent strangers visiting Izlude. Having been born in Izlude, Qtronix has complete knowledge of the town and the people, so he could discern who was a stranger and who was not. Izlude attracted plenty of blacksmiths, who were hired to smith swords for the swordsmen in the guild, as well as make armor and repair items. But, before Azen went to the guild to take a test, he made good friends with a party. They were really helpful and taught him the basic skills, then he applied them on his own with their supervision. They waited patiently at his house for his return as a swordsman. Qtronix took a moment to get used to moving around in his uniform and then entered his house, where he was greeted by his party and family.

"Surprise!" they yelled.

Qtronix smiled and then thanked them all, then they had a small celebration of his recent job change. Qtronix took the time to enjoy this moment with his family, for it was his last night in the house before he starts adventuring with his party.

The members of the party were pretty balanced. There were two swordsmen, one of them was Qtronix, an acolyte, and an archer. There was one mage who supervised them all, and she was actually about to go and train as a wizard very soon. The other swordsman's name was Aldric. He was a blonde guy with a slightly muscular build, similar to Azen's build. He stood rather tall, and he was at least a few inches taller than Qtronix, which makes him about 6'2" considering Qtronix is 5'11". He had a one-handed sword and a shield to match, which made him the tank of the group. The acolyte's name was Lilitia. She had nice, long, white hair and blue eyes. She kept her silky, white hair tied back in a ponytail, and she had a really beautiful appearance. It was unknown to the mage who supervised their group, but Lilitia has three men contending for her heart. One was Aldric, another is Qtronix, while the third one was the archer of the group. His name was Satoshi. Like Aldric, he too, had blonde hair. However, he was of medium height, about 5'8". He was slim, and he had a keen eye, especially for the ladies.

When the next morning came along, Qtronix and the party left his home and started off venturing in the wild. Their first destination was Geffen. As they were travelling, they encountered a few monsters along the way, and Qtronix would take the lead in the attack, and most of it was to impress Lilitia. There was one time where he attacked a poporing, and he thought he got it on the first slash, so he turned to look at Lilitia to see if she was watching. Indeed, she was, but he was quickly sacked by the poporing right after. Aldric had to save him from the angry poporing and the mage, who's name was Glass, just facepalmed.

The party had ventured over to a maze in the Prontera Fields, and they spent their time fighting through the maze looking for an exit. It was then when they encountered a Vagabond Wolf, complete with it's five wolf slaves.

"Aldric, make sure you keep their attention!" yelled Satoshi, who was shooting arrows at the wolves but seemed to keep missing.

"It's not that easy you know!" Aldric replied back, casting provoke on every one of the wolves to grab their attention. Qtronix would find himself safeguarding Lilitia from wolf attacks, and there was an incident where he got bitten in the neck after being a tad late on slashing a wolf down. However, Lilitia casted Heal on him and he was alright.

Glass casted her elemental spells on the boss, seeking to weaken it. At that time, Lilitia casted Agi Up on Qtronix and he dashed forward to the boss monster. He slashed at the wolf and missed, and the wolf jumped back and bit Qtronix's leg. He fell down, and that's when Aldric entered and attacked the wolf. His shield proved to be useful against the wolf's attacks. Satoshi shot a few arrows that hit the wolf, and the wolf faltered a bit. Glass casted lightning bolt at the wolf and it finally fell.

As soon as the party had left the maze, they ended up right by Prontera.

"I guess we'll spend the night in Prontera and get a better map to get to Geffen," Glass said.

"Well, considering we'll be spending the time in Prontera, you want me to show you around, Lilitia?" asked Satoshi with a smooth voice.

"Naw, Lilitia will be spending some time with me, right, Lilitia?" butted in Aldric.

"You two seriously need to calm down... We're not even in Prontera yet," said Lilitia sternly. The two sighed, and the party made it's way to Prontera.

"Qtronix, I need to speak with you for a moment. The rest of you, have fun," Glass said.

Qtronix watched as Aldric and Satoshi take Lilitia away, then sighed as he looked at Glass, "What is it?"

"I've sensed that you've developed feelings for Lilitia. How come you're not joining the competition for her heart?"

"There's no need to. It obvious she doesn't see anything in me."

"Are you sure?" Glass questioned.

"I mean, all she ever pays attention to is Aldric or Satoshi. She pays attention to me if I'm the first one to attack, but other than that, there's nothing."

"Come, take a walk with me," Glass wrapped her arm around Qtronix's arm and started walking the streets of Prontera.

It was already night time, and the lights of the stores and buildings lit the surroundings. Qtronix blushed a bit. Glass was a pretty, mature woman, and he felt pretty lucky that she was holding onto him. The two spent most of the night walking around Prontera and looking at the items for sale, or checking out a few performances and duels. When the moon was high in the sky and Prontera's citizens went to sleep, the party met up at an inn and settled there. Glass made it so Qtronix and Lilitia were roomed together while Aldric, Satoshi and herself were in another room.

"So... Lilitia..." Azen started. He was staring at Lilitia's legs as she took off her boots.

"Hm?"

"Uh... It's nothing..."

"Alright then. Can you turn around for a second?" Lilitia asked meekly.

"Uh, sure..." Qtronix turned around.

Lilitia lifted her shirt and healed a wound she got near her chest, then after she finished, she said, "Alright, you can turn around now."

"So... do you like Aldric or Satoshi?"

"Well, I have to say being with Satoshi is surely fun. He knows how to make a girl smile, and Aldric is funny. All in all, I enjoy my time with them," Lilitia said, taking off her ponytail.

"Do you like them more than friends?"

"Hmm... Why do you want to know?"

"Ah... Eh... Just curious..." Qtronix scratched the back of his head and lay back down.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Prontera was attacked by an army of thief bugs, and the party was awoken to the sounds of battle. Soon, Qtronix and Aldric were ready to go, seeing as they were trained to be the vanguard of Rune-Midgar's defenses against threats. The party gets out and starts fighting the thief bugs. Soon, they were surrounded, but Glass, Lilitia and Satoshi were taking it easy considering the two swordsmen were competing on who gets the most kills, mostly just to impress Lilitia.<p>

"I remember when Qtronix was still a novice and he thought he could take on a poporing all by himself!" Glass said.

"Oh, I remember that! But to say the least, he still kind of can't take a poporing by himself..." Satoshi commented

Qtronix and Aldric swing their swords at some thief bugs, getting a bit tired.

"But remember when Lilitia got scared of a Fabre?" Glass mentioned.

"Don't talk about that... I get embarrassed when I remember..." Lilitia said.

"Can we get a heal...?" Aldric and Qtronix both say at the same time, however, they are ignored and the three continue chatting.

Qtronix gets tripped by three thief bugs and Aldric gets carried away by a swarm. Qtronix slices a few more bugs before using Magnum Break to save Aldric.

"Uraaaaah!" Aldric yells as he fights off some thief bugs. "These things don't seem to run out of supply!"

"Tell me about it! We've been fighting for an hour now! Where are these things coming from?" Qtronix retorted as he fought his own bunch of bugs. The two were then swarmed and covered in thief bugs, and remained immobile. They were like statues made out of thief bugs.

"Well, ladies, why don't we go out somewhere nice?" Satoshi suggested.

"Sure, I have no problem with that," Lilitia said.

"I guess I'll go too," Glass replied.

The three start walking off without noticing the two swordsmen stuck in a pile of thief bugs.


	2. Aftermath and Alberta

"Are you two alright?" A knight asked Aldric and Qtronix.

The two rubbed their heads and looked around. They were still at the spot where they fell unconscious from the thief bug attacks, and the other three members of the party were nowhere to be found.

"We found you guys stuck in a pile of thief bugs. Good thing we took care of them already," said the knight.

"Thanks for the help... Did you see a mage, acolyte and an archer together around nearby?" asked Qtronix.

"Well, they've been going around Prontera. We've seen them a couple of times."

"Alright, time to go back to our party members..." Qtronix said standing up.

"No, I think I'm going to the Knight's Guild. I'm ready to be a knight." Aldric said.

"Oh really now? We'll walk with you there," said the Knight.

"Well, if that's your choice... We'll miss you man," Qtronix said somberly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you're strong enough to be the main swordsman of the party."

"Yeah, don't doubt your skills, man. If you're strong enough that a whole army of thief bugs had to stop you, then I think you'll do great!" encouraged the knight. "Now then, let's hurry before the guild closes up for the night."

Aldric left the party that night, and Qtronix ventured back to the inn where they stayed at. He found Glass, Lilitia and Satoshi sitting at a table. He went over and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was tired, he was beaten, and he surely wanted to know why these three left Aldric and himself alone in the midst of so many thief bugs. When he approached, Lilitia and Glass looked up at him.

"Where were you?" Lilitia asked.

"We thought you ran off back to Izlude!" Glass said.

Satoshi kept his gaze on Lilitia while Qtronix slammed his hands on the table, "I was out there, killing the thief bugs, and when I asked for a heal, no one came! We were surrounded by thief bugs, no one came! I thought I was gonna die back there!" Qtronix yelled.

"Oh... Sorry... Satoshi invited us to go somewhere, so I agreed," Lilitia said.

"Yeah... me too," Glass added.

"Well, it's not their fault that you were busy making a fool out of yourself and trying to hog the spotlight," Satoshi finally spoke.

"What did you say!" Qtronix unsheathed his sword. He was really irritable now.

"Heh, prove my point exactly."

"Hey, Qtronix... you should calm down... I know you're tired and all but that's no reason to draw your sword on him..." Lilitia stood up and tried calming Qtronix.

"It would have been fine if there was some help... but whatever. I'm skipping dinner." Qtronix storms into his and Lilitia's room.

He sighed and started taking off his boots, gloves and his sword. He set them aside neatly on a table then went to lie down on his bed. Today was a long day, and he wasn't sure if it was going to be like this for a while, now that Aldric has gone. A few minutes have passed and he heard Satoshi talking about Aldric leaving the party and Glass commenting about what a good idea it was to jump on to the next job change early. Lilitia came into the room a few moments later carrying a tray with food on it.

"Here you go, Qtronix. I thought that you'd be hungry even though you're mad," Lilitia said with a warm smile.

For a young, healthy swordsman, having a pretty acolyte nurse you even though you don't need nursing is surely a blessing. The next day, the group split up. Glass was in a hurry to get to Geffen, but Lilitia wanted to go to Alberta since she hasn't been there before. So with that, Glass insisted Satoshi to come with her while Qtronix and Lilitia can travel to Alberta by themselves. They were "old enough" as Glass had said. The two boarded a ship and sailed for Alberta. The trip took a few hours, considering they were on an express ship, and they got to Alberta by noon.

"It smells like the sea!" Lilitia exclaimed. Qtronix got off the ramp from the boat carrying a massive backpack with all their inventory in it.

"It's great, isn't it...?" asked a fatigued Qtronix. He had to make sure he didn't get seasick the whole trip, and the sun's heat made it worse, paired with carrying a big heavy backpack.

"We should find an inn to put down our stuff, then we could look around town and stock up on supplies!" Lilitia said, running ahead of Qtronix.

Qtronix sighed. 'The last thing I need is more stuff to carry...' he thought to himself as he started following Lilitia.

The two found an inn and managed to get a discount since the innkeeper thought they were an eloping couple. Lilitia kicked off her boots and jumped on the bed, while Qtronix placed down the massive bag he carried and lay down on the bed. He then realized there was only one bed, and that means he was going to have to share it with Lilitia. His imagination raced at the possibilities that could happen in that circumstance and he blushed like a tomato, and he grinned sheepishly and turned his head to look at Lilitia. He was surprised to find her looking intensely at him, as if he was some weird creature she had never seen before.

"Wh-What?" Qtronix protested.

"Are you seriously going to sleep on the same bed as I am?" Lilitia questioned.

"Nonononono! I was just resting a bit! Can't we share a bed for more than five minutes?"

"I guess you have a point."

Qtronix sighed again, then sat up.

"Say, since we're all alone here now, do you want to take a walk with me?" Lilitia suggested.

"Of course! It's the role of a swordsman to keep people safe!" Qtronix said, suddenly energetic, since Lilitia's suggestion made it look like a date.

"Alright! Let's go now!"

The two exited the inn and started walking around. They spent the afternoon buying potions and food, then finally, when sunset came, they were going to return to the inn. There was a little girl who looked like 10 years old with a cart that looked hand-made, and it seemed like she was selling bananas. Qtronix and Lilitia smiled at each other after seeing her, but then two merchants came and approached the little girl. They rambled on about her not being allowed to sell without permission from the Merchant's Guild. One of the merchants grabbed the girl's wrists and lifted her off the ground. The other merchant kicked the girl's cart.

"No! Stop it! Stop it!" the girl yelled. The merchant continued until the cart was completely destroyed.

"Come here!" The merchant holding her wrists carried her off to an alley and the other merchant followed.

"Qtronix...!" Lilitia started to notify Qtronix but he was already off, his sword unsheathed and headed for the alley.

"No! Please, get away from me!" the girl yelled.

"Hey!" Qtronix came into the scene, his sword drawn.

"S-Swordsman!" yelled the one holding the girl's wrists.

"Run!" said the other merchant and both of them start running, leaving the girl and Qtronix alone in the alley.

The girl ran past Qtronix and went to see her cart, and she started crying when she stared at it for a while. Lilitia knelt down and comforted the girl, hugging her tightly and rubbing her back simultaneously. Qtronix sheathed his sword and sighed, waiting for the two to move from their positions. The girl simmered down after a few long moments.

"Where's your house?" Lilitia asked.

"I don't have one..." the girl replied.

"Well, we're adventurers and we're staying at an inn nearby. Do you want to come with us?" Lilitia suggested.

"What? We already have enough to worry about!" Qtronix objected. The girl started to cry again. Lilitia gave Qtronix the death glare.

"It's okay... What's your name?" Lilitia asked.

"Kata..."

"Well, Kata, I'm Lilitia. I'm an acolyte. This meanie over here is Qtronix. He's a swordsman. And he SHOULD be protecting those who are in need of help." Lilitia said, looking up at Qtronix with a glare at the last part of her sentence.

"Well, if she's gonna stay with us... I guess I'll rent another room. Come on, it's best if she got somewhere quiet." Qtronix said. The three went off back to the inn and Qtronix rented the room opposite of Lilitia's and Kata's room.

Qtronix moved his stuff into his room and went to the other room to keep Kata and Lilitia company. When it was late, Qtronix stayed until Kata was asleep before talking to Lilitia.

"What are we going to do with her? She doesn't have an adventurer's license, we can't take her around."

"Simple. We get her one!" Lilitia exclaimed.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"You're doing all this for a stranger girl?"

"Yes, because quite frankly, the swordsman in the party isn't helping out those in need." Lilitia said sharply. Qtronix was silenced.

"Well... alright then." Qtronix said, defeated, after a moment. "You should get some rest too. We have a big day tomorrow. I'll see if I can buy her some novice clothes and a dagger to match."

"Thank you, Qtronix. Well, good night!" Lilitia lay down while Qtronix exited the room.

He went to bed in his room and slept. The next day, he woke up early to go out and buy Kata her novice clothes. He got a dagger free of charge when he said he was taking care of a young girl, because the merchant thought he was buying it for his little sister that wanted to be an adventurer. He was glad that there were all these misconceptions that they got more than what they bargained for. When Qtronix returned to the inn Kata was well and awake. Qtronix got a good look at her features. She was short, and had blonde hair tied into pigtails. She had bright brown eyes. She was probably getting to know Lilitia better when Qtronix walked in because she was talking about her features.

"I'm actually 14 years old even though I look like 10!" Kata exclaimed.

"Wow! I wish I looked younger than what I really was..." Lilitia said. She then noticed Qtronix standing at the door, "Oh hey, you're back."

"What's that, big bro?" Kata asked.

"These are yours. Try them out, see how it fits." Qtronix suggested, handing Kata the clothes. She and Lilitia gave him a stare as if he knew what it meant, and then he turned around so Kata can change.

Lilitia smiled as she saw Kata's new look, "Wow! It fits perfectly! You have a good eye, Qtronix!"

"Hehe..." Qtronix scratched the back of his head as he was complimented.

"Awright! I'm weady for adventure!" exclaimed Kata happily.

And with that, the three checked out of the inn and started their quest to get Kata her adventuring license.


	3. Encounter and Reunion

It was a long, long period of time. Three months to be exact. Qtronix, Lilitia and Kata have travelled from Alberta to Prontera to register Kata as an adventurer. Qtronix grew more experienced as he took on the mobs and acted as the tank of the party, while Lilitia supported him. Qtronix trained Kata in the art of the sword, seeing that Kata wanted to grow stronger to protect the weak. Qtronix's ego was fed and he eventually matured into a doting fatherlike figure for Kata. Lilitia also grew to be the motherly figure for Kata, and they travelled around like they were a family. They were walking around to travel to Payon, when suddenly they were attacked by a group of orcs.

"Stay behind me!" Qtronix yelled as he drew his sword. Lilitia casted buffs on Qtronix while Kata clung onto Lilitia's arm.

A brave orc charged first and started fighting Qtronix. The orc swung it's axe towards Qtronix's shoulder and he parried it quickly, returning with a slash to the Orc's leg. The orcs were not one for avoiding any attacks, for they were brutes and they fought with barbaric finesse. The orc's leg was sliced cleanly off, and the orc fell down. Qtronix did not bother finishing the orc off as he was more focused on protecting Lilitia and Kata. Three orcs surged forward with axes held high, and Qtronix blocked two of them with his blade while the third grazed his arm. He staggered a bit then placed his arm around Lilitia, pointing his sword at any orc that dared to step forward. Kata started to cry and Qtronix comforted her.

"It'll be okay. I'm right here," he said.

"B-But... but...!" Kata stuttered.

"Don't worry... We'll protect you," Lilitia said, helping Qtronix comfort her.

The situation was grim and it was going to get worse if nothing was done upon it. Qtronix was tired. He could barely feel his hands holding the hilt of his sword for they had become numb with the numerous times he swung and felt the sting of the sword hitting something it did not cut through. An orc bashed him with it's shield and Qtronix fell on his back. The orcs then surrounded Lilitia and Kata, disregarding Qtronix completely, but he stood up and slashed at the back of an orc. The orc fell and several orcs started to engage him in combat. Every time he swung his sword, the sound of metal clashing against metal and stone and armor reminded him of church bells, how they would ring when mass was being held inside. Qtronix was struck down by an orc's axe, and Lilitia had ran out of mana, so she held Kata in her arms tightly, protecting Kata.

"Kata... Lilitia... run...!" Qtronix pleaded weakly.

"I'll never leave you all alone here!" Lilitia screamed.

It was over for them, if it wasn't for a good stranger who casted Devotion on the three, diverting any damage done on them to the caster. It was a miracle for a crusader to have stumbled upon their plight. The crusader defeated what was left of the orcs, and casted Heal on Qtronix.

"Are you alright?" The nameless crusader asked.

"Yeah... Thanks," Qtronix said, before looking up to the crusader. She was beautiful, with flowing blue hair that resembled water. "Who... are you?"

"I'm a crusader. One who fights in the holy wars. We are exist to protect the weak and defend the helpless."

"Wow..." Kata and Lilitia said at the same time.

"Well, I thank you again for your help. If you didn't come, we would have died," Qtronix said, standing up.

"You should take great care, especially if your travelling in the wild. The monsters have grown more hostile these days," the crusader warned.

Kata and Lilitia got unusually close to the crusader, "Can you tell us how to be beautiful like you?"

The crusader was baffled, but she did not mind their closeness. It was as if they have known each other for a long time. Despite being a crusader, she knew a lot on how to bring a woman's charm from within herself. While they talked, Qtronix was deep in thought. He trained to be a swordsman so he could protect those important to him. Now, there was someone who was exactly what he wanted to be. Someone who could protect people. The embodiment of his goal was standing there, chatting with other girls about how to be more beautiful.

"...And the most important thing is that you be yourself. That's how your true beauty will emerge. If you strive hard to copy someone else's beauty, you wouldn't be able to call it your own, so then in the end, you'd think if it was worth it or not. It is said that the longest path is the most direct path. Consider that. If you were to traverse a shorter, but more dangerous route, there is a chance you wouldn't get what you were aiming for. Your goals will be lost." The crusader said.

"Thank you ver-"

"Miss Crusader, please take me with you!" Qtronix was bowing on the ground.

"Oro?"

"I just want to have the ability to protect my friends and loved ones... I don't think I have the strength as a swordsman... I wish to become a crusader like you!"

The crusader suddenly had a devious smile on her face, "And what, be beautiful like me as well?"

"Wh-What?" Qtronix looked up.

The crusader laughed softly, "If there is a request, we must accept. That is a tenant of the crusaders."

"What about us?" Lilitia asked.

"You may come along until Payon. I'm afraid the journey to Prontera must be in solitude." The crusader said.

"By the way, we never caught your name," Qtronix said.

"Oh. My name is Amaya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I am Qtronix. The acolyte is Lilitia, and the little novice is Kata."

"Nice to meet you!" Lilitia and Kata exclaimed.

The four continued on to Payon, then there they saw a familiar face.

"Well, well. What do we have here. I didn't expect to see you around these parts," Satoshi said, looking completely different from what he originally looked like last time they saw him.

"Satoshi! It's been a while!" Lilitia exclaimed. The two spent a few moments speaking together, then suddenly Satoshi grabbed her by the arm and started walking off.

"Well, wasn't that rude," Amaya said. 


	4. Preparation

The trip from Payon to Prontera was long, and Amaya, Qtronix, and Kata found themselves travelling for two days straight. Sometimes, they would go off the path to Prontera to get Qtronix and Kata some experience and items Qtronix would be needing for the first phase of the Crusader Test.

"You should improve your handle on your sword! Be able to swing it with one hand! Crusader's weapons are heavy and strong, but we need a free hand to hold a shield!" coached Amaya from a distance as Qtronix swung his two-handed sword with one hand clumsily at a gang of kobolds. Kata was handling porings and fabres strutting about. When Kata killed her last poring, Amaya stopped her and said, "Don't worry now, child. You are ready."

Qtronix prepared for an attack from a kobold wielding a morning star. Qtronix tried blocking, but the chain went around the blade of his sword and the kobold tugged it away from his hand.

"What are you doing? Without your weapon, how will you fight?" yelled Amaya.

Qtronix rolled forward to retrieve his weapon, and he successfully did it. With a slash, he defeated a kobold, and moved on to the remaining two. Kata was watching silently from behind Amaya's leg. She was watching with awe, as Qtronix has developed a skill like never before; the skill to fight with such a massive sword with only one hand. It was a while back that Amaya gave him her old sword, which was half the width of Qtronix's body and went up to Qtronix's stomach. A kobold with a mace decided to attack Qtronix head on, and he parried the attack with the flat side of the blade, and swung it at the kobold and finally defeated it. The last kobold immediately routed when the last of it's comrades fell, and Qtronix fell to his knees.

"Good work. It seems you know how to handle the sword properly now," Amaya said, approaching Qtronix and casting Heal on him.

"Is this even necessary...? What if they run out of things to teach me by the time I get to Prontera Castle?" Qtronix asked.

"Oh, man up. Everything I teach you is necessary. Or do you want to spend 10 years in the Castle training?" Amaya threatened.

"Do you mean... you spent ten years training in the Castle?" Kata asked.

"Yes, little one. I'm not as young as I look. I'm already 35."

"But... I thought you were somewhere near 20..." Qtronix said in astonishment. Looks could truly be deceiving.

"Hahahaha~! Enough of your flattery, Prontera is just an hour or two away." Amaya said cheerfully.

The three continued on, with Amaya literally dragging Qtronix since he claimed to be too tired to walk. Kata marched behind the two, content that she was going with her "big brother." Upon arrival to Prontera, they made a quick stop, and Amaya looked at Kata for a long time. Afterwards, Kata took an apple out of her backpack and handed it to Qtronix, which he ate happily, like a pet. Upon remembering that Amaya herself told Kata that she was ready, she then remembered she went to the wrong destination.

"Qtronix." she called.

"Hm?" responded the swordsman.

"Head on ahead to Prontera Castle. I'll take care of Kata."

"Where are you taking her?" Qtronix suddenly got defensive.

"Izlude. She's ready for the swordsman test."

"Ah. As expected of my Kata." Qtronix patted Kata's head and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Good luck."

"Thank you, big bro... I'm sure you'll do good with your test," Kata said, reluctant to move, but then she finally gave Qtronix a tight hug before leaving with Amaya.

Qtronix saw the two off, and he sighed once they were out of sight. He turned and faced north, towards Prontera Castle. His own test waiting for him inside. He wandered through the streets of Prontera, asking directions from the guards, and finally arrived at the Castle. He navigated through the puzzling staircases that led to the Crusader Headquarters. Upon arrival, the captain of the crusaders looked at Qtronix and questioned his motive. When it has been revealed that he wanted to be a crusader, the captain nodded and sent him out to gather items, but Qtronix gave the items required to the captain on the spot. The captain was surprised, but he laughed heartily.

"Alright lad. You just cut your training time by eight years," the captain said as he led Qtronix inside the headquarters and out on the courtyard to begin his training.


	5. Training

Qtronix had spent nine months developing Faith, Demon Bane, Protection from Darkness, and Heal; the core skills of a crusader. He had a partner for the training, but they only got together during training spent six months learning how to fight with a shield and a heavy sword, as well as wearing heavy armor the whole time. Qtronix's progress astonished his seniors as well as his captain. He was learning as if he already knew what to do. With bolstered faith and confidence, Qtronix grew tall and proud of his skills and devotion to one thing. One time, his partner came to to talk to him.

"What drives you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Qtronix replied.

"You train like you are reaching out for something. I'd like to know what it is that you strive for."

"Well, I only wanted to protect someone I love. Now, I want to protect everyone that I love."

"I see. That is a big driving factor indeed... So what's the name of this person you love."

Qtronix looked up at the blue sky. He wondered if Lilitia was looking at the sky as well. He wondered if she was having a good time with Satoshi. He then thought of Kata and Amaya. Even though they were far apart, they were united under one sky, and that was enough to make Qtronix feel as if they never left at all. He took a long sigh before saying, "Lilitia."

Training continued for 8 months, consisting of a routine of praying early in the morning, reciting sacraments from morning to mid-morning, combat training from noon till dusk, then white magic training from dusk till right around 7 PM. Dusk was somewhere around 5:30 PM, while dawn was at the same time as well. Finally the final test came. Unlike other final tests, it wasn't an assesment of what they've learned in their time while they trained. It was an endurance test. A candidate was to walk straight into a pit of aggressive monsters and is required not to attack, but to endure the pain and continue walking through the monsters. If they came out in one piece, they passed the test. If not, they were given a consolation and were then reassigned as instructors, but not crusaders. If a candidate were to strike a monster, he/she would fail, and will go through the final phases of training until it is time for another final test.

"The purpose of this test is for the candidate to experience the pain of getting hurt and not being able to retaliate. This is how those you will be protecting feels. The weak are often abused and hurt by those better than them, and the weak cannot retaliate for fear of getting hurt even more, or worse. For you to fully understand and be able to protect the weak and the helpless, you must experience their pain first. Also, it is to test your faith, to see how resistant you are to temptation," The captain announced to the candidates. Qtronix was the last candidate seeing as he caught up to his seniors due to his prior knowledge from Amaya.

One by one, the candidates passed their test, coming out in excruciating pain, and they were quickly tended to by the priests stationed at the testing grounds. Little by little, Qtronix's turn was nearing. And finally, it was his turn. The candidate before him failed the test as he could not resist and attacked a monster. Qtronix took a few sighs before proceeding to the pathway filled with monsters. Once he approached, plant monsters lashed at him with their whip-like arms. The leaves at the end were sharp, and it managed to cut Qtronix's cheek. There were stone monsters who threw themselves into Qtronix, and hit him in the gut. He doubled over and fell to his knees as the wind was knocked out of him, and he spent a moment trying to regain his breath. It was hard, considering he had to endure the whips of the plant monsters at the same time. Then came the animal monsters, which clawed him and bit him, but he didn't falter. He slowed down in walking, but his eyes were on his goal, and the goal was to leave the pathway without having to retaliate. Many times he fell, and the farther he progressed, the more pain was inflicted on him because more monsters were around him, all attacking him at the same time. At the middle of the pathway, Qtronix collapsed, and he tried to push himself up. However, a stone monster hit his shoulder and he failed to raise himself from the ground.

Although, there was something driving him. Deep down in his heart, he had something that kept his spirit going, and that was Lilitia's smiling face. Despite the amount of punishment being given to him, he endured it all for Lilitia's sake. The pain was excruciating, but he had to get to the finish line. He crawled. He was whipped in the leg, and he faltered a bit. He pushed himself up while being beaten, and he continued walking through the mob. The one thing that drove him was his love for Lilitia, even though he was sure she did not love him back.


End file.
